SaaS Selling: Creating an Elevator Pitch
What is it?
An elevator pitch is a short description of a solution that explains it in a concise and easy-to-understand way. Usually, it tends to last between 30 to 90 seconds.
The solution described needs to be compelling so the person you are talking to will want to hear some more about it.
Why is it important?
It helps you organize your thoughts and gives you the opportunity to provide the key points that will get the attention of your prospect.
What needs to be in the elevator pitch?
A good start is by brainstorming to find answers to the following questions: “Who am I?”, “What do I deliver?”. "How do I add value?", “How do I do it?”, and “To whom do I do it to?”
Pain points, core needs, and the gains have to be customized per different personas and types of business.
If you found a way to meet in person with your prospect or to get this person on the phone, show confidence and passion when you pitch your solution. To sort of illustrate what I am saying, take a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrIfes1L7NI. It is a little exaggerated, but you will get the point. 😉
Considering the new normal with many companies adopting hybrid or remote work, sometimes, you can’t reach the person on the phone. Then you have to pitch via email or LinkedIn InMail. When this is the case, be concise and relevant on the message and add a CTA at the end. One thing I tried and worked very well was adding a link to a nice case study or a product video to support the message. If you have the resources to create personalized link tracking to measure engagement with the message, then it is even better!
To structure the message, there is a guideline from the Harvard-MIT Elevator Pitch:
Problem: “[Customer type] are often frustrated by the effort it takes to [Action].”
Solution: “[Your new solution] eliminates the need to [Customer’s old solution].”
Why You: “For [Duration], [Customer type] have trusted [Your company] to provide the best solutions in [Customer’s industry].”
Value: “With [Your new solution], you can [spend less/make more] [time/money] [Action].”
CTA: “I’ll give you a call to learn more about your situation (Get contact info). Thanks for your time.”
Good luck with your pitch!
